[Archived] Kevin Davies - The Second Coming...?

[Guest benmaxwell]

How about André-Pierre Gignac? Would cost a bit. Healthy scoring record. Been linked with a move to Aston Villa so it must be possible..? Young, creative, pacey..?

[nicko]

How about André-Pierre Gignac? Would cost a bit. Healthy scoring record. Been linked with a move to Aston Villa so it must be possible..? Young, creative, pacey..?

I'm sure - like every other striker in mainland Europe - he has been watched and researched by your scouts.

He just made the French team, that makes him expensive.

He is with Toulouse who somehow got around £9 million for the Swedish stump they sold to Bolton.

'Cost a bit' would be an understatement.

[Eddie]

To be fair over the various threads that have been open for a few months quite a few forwards have been named who many think would be better. Of the players we have been linked with or who appear to be very realistic targets who would make my list (in no particular order and seeing as we've scouted so much in France I'll list a few players we might have seen):

1) Kévin Gameiro

2) Gignac

3) Gervinho

4) Monnet-Paquet

5) Obertan (highly unlikely, but would be a great one)

6) Kévin Mirallas

All young, all huge talents. Gignac and Obertan would immediately without doubt be our best forwards, the others will no doubt be at that level soon. There are other players who I think we could look at (for example I like Jozy Altidore a lot, he hasn't really developed as he could have, but he has the size and pace to be a success in this league). I think all of those players offer more than Davies, they'd all be able to play with out current group of players and fit into the style in which we play. My advice would be to take a long hard look at Gignac and test Toulouse out with a couple of bids. His personal problems now appear to be behind him and he is a player who is probably a year or two away from getting real recognition around Europe.

Of the players mentioned, Gervinho actually looks likely to move in the next week or two. He's quick and a very good dribbler. He's a talent, far from the finished product, but certainly has everything required to be a success.

[tony gale's mic]

If there's genuinely noone better available, then hold onto the money and/or strengthen the midfield. That needs sorting at least as much if not more than our striker situation. With Benni and Roberts we had a decent front pairing last season, and if we get Di Santo then we can see if we can blood one of the youngsters in an emergency if all three are injured. At least until January.

[Eddie]

I'm sure - like every other striker in mainland Europe - he has been watched and researched by your scouts.

He just made the French team, that makes him expensive.

He is with Toulouse who somehow got around £9 million for the Swedish stump they sold to Bolton.

'Cost a bit' would be an understatement.

I think Gignac would probably cost around the 10 million mark at the moment. Obviously that is a significant amount of money, but would you rather spend 10 million on Gignac or 5 or 6 million on Davies then there is only one winner.

[nicko]

If there's genuinely noone better available, then hold onto the money and/or strengthen the midfield. That needs sorting at least as much if not more than our striker situation. With Benni and Roberts we had a decent front pairing last season, and if we get Di Santo then we can see if we can blood one of the youngsters in an emergency if all three are injured. At least until January.

I really should have gone to Specsavers.

Benni was a letdown with his weight problems, Roberts is Roberts - a good squad man with the first touch of a stampeding wildebeast.

You got out of trouble DESPITE the strikers you had. Big Chris had to play in front of those two a couple of times FFS.

You cannot start next season with those two.

[Eddie]

If there's genuinely noone better available, then hold onto the money and/or strengthen the midfield. That needs sorting at least as much if not more than our striker situation. With Benni and Roberts we had a decent front pairing last season, and if we get Di Santo then we can see if we can blood one of the youngsters in an emergency if all three are injured. At least until January.

I'd agree. I'd rather we save money and wait for the right player. Strengthen the midfield and the right back spot and make it so that we create chances and that make do with Roberts and Benni, possibly Di Santo if the deal does go through and maybe another loan deal or prospect brought in. We have Diouf who can move up front, can play one up front with Roberts and we can even call on Gallagher or Rigters at a push (I'd rather do that than waste 5 million). I'd rather we continue with Samba up front than overpay for someone like Davies.

Oh and just one last name to throw in there: Cisse at 7 milion or Davies at 6? Really? I don't want either, but again I know who would be first choice.

[Guest benmaxwell]

I really should have gone to Specsavers.

Benni was a letdown with his weight problems, Roberts is Roberts - a good squad man with the first touch of a stampeding wildebeast.

Benni scored 13 and Roberts scored 7... Granted they didn't play nearly as many games as Davies who scored 12...

[Al]

In three years time? Are you serious?

Absolutely, where will the money come from? I don't believe he will last 3 years, two if he is very lucky. Stop avoiding the question.

[nicko]

Benni scored 13 and Roberts scored 7... Granted they didn't play nearly as many games as Davies who scored 12...

If you watched Benni last season and Davies last season you might know who was the far ghreater contributor to his team's results.

McCarthy was ruled out for a lengthy spell because of his 'issues' and some of his goals were penalties.

If you seriously think he did more for Rovers than Davies did for Bolton then I frankly give up.

Roberts is a lovely lad and gives his best, but he managed one goal in the crucial final ten games - albeit a vital winner at Fulham. He is a sub in any good team.

[Eddie]

and in 12 months it is likely that Davies won't even be back-up in any good team...

[Craigman]

I would quite gladly see a whole new strie force next season. Benni and Roberts can go for me, if someone will take them.

[nicko]

Absolutely, where will the money come from? I don't believe he will last 3 years, two if he is very lucky. Stop avoiding the question.

What a player is worth in three years is total and utter nonsense.

If you had any young player you could not say what he would be worth in three years time because there would be his personal contract to consider.

It is a totally irrelevant question.

[super_arran]

Benni scored 13 and Roberts scored 7... Granted they didn't play nearly as many games as Davies who scored 12...

are you seriously suggesting we stick with benni and roberts? yeh roberts tries but he is dog sh*t at finishing and benni is just plain lazy and unprofessional.

hand on heart would you rate these two over Davies?

[RovertheHill]

If this deal is going ahead what's the rough timescale?

[tony gale's mic]

I really should have gone to Specsavers.

Benni was a letdown with his weight problems, Roberts is Roberts - a good squad man with the first touch of a stampeding wildebeast.

You got out of trouble DESPITE the strikers you had. Big Chris had to play in front of those two a couple of times FFS.

You cannot start next season with those two.

We also got out of trouble despite the central midfield crisis we had. That needs sorting too.

[nicko]

We also got out of trouble despite the central midfield crisis we had. That needs sorting too.

Quite so.

[Guest benmaxwell]

are you seriously suggesting we stick with benni and roberts? yeh roberts tries but he is dog sh*t at finishing and benni is just plain lazy and unprofessional.

hand on heart would you rate these two over Davies?

Answering because i have been directly asked.

Benni is a hands down better goal scorer then Davies even when unfit. I repeat. Benni (injured and unfit in parts) scored more goals then Davies in nearly half the games.

Roberts scored only 5 less then Davies, also not playing as many games.

But hey. People say scoring goals isn't what Davies is about? I don't see what difference their is between Davies and Roberts in that matter. Both use their bodies to create chances. If were going to bring in Davies, we might as well get rid of Roberts...

We need a goalscorer for gods sakes, Davies it aint. I haven't even brought up the age difference and sell-on value difference...

[T4E]

Roberts is a lovely lad and gives his best, but he managed one goal in the crucial final ten games - albeit a vital winner at Fulham. He is a sub in any good team.

In fairness to him, he only featured in 5 of those games, was taken off injured halfway through one of them, and only managed 11 minutes as a sub in another.

Samba wouldn't have been starting up front ahead of J-Rob if he had been fit.

[nicko]

In fairness to him, he only featured in 5 of those games, was taken off injured halfway through one of them, and only managed 11 minutes as a sub in another.

Samba wouldn't have been starting up front ahead of J-Rob if he had been fit.

Samba made a better job of it.

Roberts is a squad man, a good sub. Let's not get all sentimental about him.

[spencey7]

Bolton were after the Russian, asked his former team-mate Puygrenier about him and were told [a] he was a big-timer who wouldn't go there and was not that good anyway.

If the other clubs seriously wanted him he would have been gone by now...his contract is running out, the Russians would have traded.

And I did NOT say the Argentinian League was slow. It is a very physical competition, but the overall intensity of the Premier League leaves every other league behind. I don't have a view on Falcao. I know Spurs wanted him a year ago but moved on and signed someone else. A year on, he's still there.

No disrespect intended Nicko, but it seems like you're making some significant leaps in your summation of events here. Did you speak to Puygrenier directly? Regardless, what would make Sebastien Puygrenier more of an authority on judging a player than a professional scout and/or manager?

Allardyce wants Davies, but as he's on holiday won't be bidding on him until Thursday at the earliest. Who's to say that other clubs aren't watching, waiting or even negotiating in a similar way with Pogrebnyak? That said, given the managerial situation in St Petersburg I suspect it would be highly unlikely for any transfers to happen at the moment. It's clear that you have no direct line to Pogrebnyak or Zenit, so to categorically state that no clubs have tried (or are actively trying) to sign him is simply disingenuous.

The whole argument is fundamentally flawed. You completely ignore the current global financial climate, uncertainties over television money, takeovers etc. For example, Brazillian Hermanes has often identified as the biggest prospect in world football - but he's still playing with Sao Paulo at 24 years old. Does that make him hopeless?

Every time I've seen Pogrebnyak he's looked a threat. He's played at a higher level than Davies, has all his attributes and more besides.

[nicko]

THERE'S ONE OFF EDDIE'S LIST ALREADY...

http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2009/...nt-etienne.html

[Eddie]

I saw that, it was almost the minute that I posted, but I still doubt that he'd turn down a move to England.

are you seriously suggesting we stick with benni and roberts? yeh roberts tries but he is dog sh*t at finishing and benni is just plain lazy and unprofessional.

hand on heart would you rate these two over Davies?

I probably would. Benni is certainly better than Davies, although obviously very different players. He needs to get fit, but that is a different matter. Roberts is effective alongside Benni and they are a good partnership, I don't see Benni-Davies or Davies-Roberts being significantly better than what we already have. Not 5 million better.

[T4E]

Samba made a better job of it.

Roberts is a squad man, a good sub. Let's not get all sentimental about him.

Roberts is a very good player. He makes things happen and I'd imagine is up there alongside Davies on the most hated to play against amongst PL centre halves.

The Samba point is subjective, but needless to say I don't agree.

[nicko]

No disrespect intended Nicko, but it seems like you're making some significant leaps in your summation of events here. Did you speak to Puygrenier directly? Regardless, what would make Sebastien Puygrenier more of an authority on judging a player than a professional scout and/or manager?

I TOOK THE TIME TO CHECK WHEN POGGY WAS BEING LINKED HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE...THAT WAS THE CAST-IRON INFO I GOT BACK...

Allardyce wants Davies, but as he's on holiday won't be bidding on him until Thursday at the earliest. Who's to say that other clubs aren't watching, waiting or even negotiating in a similar way with Pogrebnyak? That said, given the managerial situation in St Petersburg I suspect it would be highly unlikely for any transfers to happen at the moment. It's clear that you have no direct line to Pogrebnyak or Zenit, so to categorically state that no clubs have tried (or are actively trying) to sign him is simply disingenuous.

HE IS AT A STAGE IN HIS CONTRACT WHEN HE CAN TALK TO OTHER CLUBS...THE WORLD WOULD KNOW IF HE WAS ABOUT TO SIGN FOR ONE OF THEM OR DO A PRE-CONTRACT...

The whole argument is fundamentally flawed. You completely ignore the current global financial climate, uncertainties over television money, takeovers etc. For example, Brazillian Hermanes has often identified as the biggest prospect in world football - but he's still playing with Sao Paulo at 24 years old. Does that make him hopeless?

HE'S 24 AND HE IS STILL IN BRAZIL? I THINK YOU ANSWERED THE QUESTION...HE HAS ONLY BEEN WITH A 'BIG' CLUB FOR A COUPLE OF SEASONS AND WOULD PROBABLY NOT GET A WORK PERMIT...IF HE WAS ANY GOOD HE WOULD HAVE BEEN GONE BY NOW...

Every time I've seen Pogrebnyak he's looked a threat. He's played at a higher level than Davies, has all his attributes and more besides.